Question: The function $f$, defined on the set of ordered pairs of positive integers, satisfies the following properties: \begin{align*}  f(x,x) &=x, \\  f(x,y) &=f(y,x), \quad \text{and} \\ (x + y) f(x,y) &= yf(x,x + y).  \end{align*}Calculate $f(14,52)$.
Solution: We can rewrite the third equation as \[f(x, x+y) = \frac{x+y}{y} \cdot f(x, y),\]or, making the substitution $t = x+y,$ \[f(x, t) = \frac{t}{t-x} \cdot f(x, t-x)\]whenever $x < t.$ In particular, if $r \neq 0$ is the remainder when $t$ is divided by $x,$ then repeatedly applying this relation, we have \[\begin{aligned} f(x, t) &= \frac{t}{t-x} \cdot f(x, t-x) \\ &= \frac{t}{t-x} \cdot \frac{t-x}{t-2x} \cdot f(x, t-2x) \\ &= \dotsb \\ &= \frac{t}{t-x} \cdot \frac{t-x}{t-2x} \cdots \frac{r+x}{r} \cdot f(x, r) \\ &= \frac{t}{r} \cdot f(x, r) \end{aligned}\]since the product telescopes. Then we may compute $f(14, 52)$ as follows, swapping the two arguments of $f$ as necessary using the second equation: \[\begin{aligned} f(14, 52) &= \frac{52}{10} \cdot f(14, 10) \\ &= \frac{52}{10} \cdot \frac{14}{4} \cdot f(10, 4) \\ &= \frac{52}{10} \cdot \frac{14}{4} \cdot \frac{10}{2} \cdot f(4, 2)\\ &= \frac{52}{10} \cdot \frac{14}{4} \cdot \frac{10}{2} \cdot \frac{4}{2} \cdot f(2, 2) \\ &= \frac{52}{\cancel{10}} \cdot \frac{14}{\cancel{4}} \cdot \frac{\cancel{10}}{2} \cdot \frac{\cancel{4}}{2} \cdot 2 \\ &= \boxed{364}. \end{aligned}\]